Advances in immunology and vaccine discovery report of the United States-European Commission workshop
Vaccine publish this investigation article
October 10th, 2007
As the 21st century unfolds, infectious diseases remain one of the most significant threats to our economy, our food animal production systems, animal welfare, and most importantly, the lives of people worldwide, regardless of their economic standing. The potential use of biological threat agents for terrorism or biowarfare further undermines the security of our society. Arguably, vaccines represent the single most cost-effective, medically delivered strategy for confronting these challenges. The workshop "Advances in Immunology and Vaccine Discovery" was organized to address these challenges, based on the conviction that the interface between immunology and vaccinology offers the best prospects for major breakthroughs in vaccine discovery and development. Six focus areas were identified by workshop organizers: (1) pathogen immune evasion; (2) innate immunity; (3) mucosal immunity; (4) immunogenetics; (5) comparative immunology; and (6) genomics. These areas provided opportunities to elucidate how protective immunity may relate to the disruption of the molecular mechanisms that underlie host-pathogen interactions. A report generated by workshop organizers and participants provides key recommendations and identifies important research gaps, needs, future steps, and potential strategic US-EU collaborations. The report is available on line through ScienceDirect (URL)
Gay CG., Richie TL., Pastoret PP., Minguez-Tudela I., de Baetselier P., Gobel T., Goddeeris B., Kaiser P., Morrison I., Sanchez-Vizcaino JM., Anderson K., Baillie LW., Brown WC., Estes DM., Herrera E., Nara PL., Ockenhouse CF., Roth JA. and Sztein MB.
Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). | |
Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). | |
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). | |
Free University of Brussels (VUB). | |
Colegio de Medicina Interna de México A.C (CMIM). | |
University of Munich (LMU). | |
Department Biosystems (BIOSYST). K.U. Leuven (Universidad Católica de Lovaina). | |
The Institute for Animal Health. | |
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. University of Edinburgh. | |
National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC). Science & Technology Directorate (S&T). Department of Homeland Security (DHS). | |
Biological Defense Research Directorate (BDRD). Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC). | |
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology. College of Veterinary Medicine. Washington State University (WSU). | |
Sealy Center for Vaccine Development (SCVD). University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). | |
Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases. University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). | |
Agricultural Research Service (ARS). U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). | |
Biological Mimetics, Inc. | |
Division of Malaria Vaccine Development. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). | |
College of Veterinary Medicine. Iowa State University (ISU). | |
Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics (IICAB). Iowa State University (ISU). | |
University of Maryland School of Medicine. | |